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NHL trade rumours: Oilers may need to take money back in Mangiapane deal and a possible mini-deadline before Olympic break
Photo credit: © Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Jan 8, 2026, 13:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 8, 2026, 12:59 EST
“The talks continue.”
That’s what David Pagnotta told us on Oilersnation Everyday on January 7th, regarding the future of Edmonton Oilers Andrew Mangiapane.
Kris Knoblauch has opted to healthy scratch him for the Winnipeg Jets game on December 29th, and in three of the Oilers’ last four games, including tonight’s game against the Jets. His time in Edmonton has hung in the balance since. His one game in that stretch was on New Year’s Eve against the Boston Bruins, where he started the game alongside Leon Draisaitl. However, his less than eight minutes of ice time would indicate that he didn’t hang around that spot for long.
Mangiapane was the Oilers’ “big” summer signing, after what was a lacklustre free agency across the league. There was optimism around the fan base, seeing a former 30-goal scorer join the Oilers to replace the likes of Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson. It felt even sweeter when he scored on opening night in the Battle of Albera.
Unfortunately, we’ve all seen a steady decline in his game since. With only 11 points on the season and a -17 plus/minus, Mangiapane and the Oilers have seen enough of each other, and it’s time to find a new home.
“The agent was involved beforehand, trying to find the right options,” Pagnotta added on Oilersnation Everyday. “Now it’s up to Stan Bowman to try to find the right deal.
“I don’t get the sense that whoever takes on Mangiapane is going to take on his full $3.6 million (cap hit). That’s not to say they’re asking money to retain, but they’re going to have to take money back their way to even it out.
“I don’t think there are teams that will take him for nothing. I don’t think this is a scenario that they’re trying to get back significant value in return, either, but, at the same time, the deal has to make sense.”
Elliotte Friedman mentioned on his 32 Thoughts podcast that Edmonton is looking for a player who is willing to play a bottom-six role. Ryan Strome was a name linked to them from Anaheim, but Friedman squashed that report, thankfully.
Another piece that could force Bowman to move Mangiapagne sooner rather than later is the salary cap. Edmonton currently has Jake Walman and Tristan Jarry on long-term injury reserve, with Adam Henrique joining them shortly. PuckPedia was also on Oilersnation Everyday before the Henrique injury and explained how the Oilers can accrue cap during the Olympic break.
Furthermore, PuckPedia explained on X that they could activate Jarry & Walman without having to send as many players down (can be compliant just sending 1 down). However, if they also trade Mangiapane before the break, they could still look to send more players down and be under the cap, accruing space during the break.
The cap is always more complicated than it seems. Essentially, if Edmonton can get below the salary cap, they can accrue money during the Olympic break, which then helps them get better or more players before the deadline.
The Oilers aren’t the only team that wants to do this, so we could see a somewhat of a trade deadline before the next roster freeze.
“It won’t be a flurry because the market is so tight right now, still, and we don’t have a clear seller’s market,” continued Pagnotta. “Vancouver is trying to make this Kiefer Sherwood situation come to an end, so we will see where that goes. Is there a domino effect that goes with that? I do think we will see activity this month.”
Sherwood to Edmonton? Probably not, but perhaps another winger with links to Edmonton instead.
Either way, the future of Mangiapagne hangs in the balance, and rightfully so. He hasn’t been good enough for Edmonton, nor has he provided enough to be given the benefit of the doubt that it’ll get better. Next summer, the Oilers needs to prioritise top players, not $3 million projects. It seems like they’re seeing that now, too.
For now, if you have a #88 Manigapagne jersey, you might want to look at getting that name bar switched out for a Rob Schremp instead.
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